Should Christians Celebrate Christmas Or Easter?

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. Look at these pictures and then ask yourself, "Should a Christian celebrate Christmas or Easter?"

Is it a wrong to tell a little, culturally accepted white lie in the name of innocent fantasy? Is it really a sin to bear false witness to children? Absolutely! It is a transgression of God's commandment if we lie to our children about Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny. We raise our children to tell the truth and get upset when they lie to us, but what kind of example do we set when WE lie to THEM about Christmas and Easter? If we expect our children to be honest and always tell the truth we should set a right example ourselves. Some parents justify lying to their children because they view Christmas and Easter as innocent fantasy, but can a young child tell the difference between fantasy and reality when they are taught by the most trusted people in their life? Children trust their parents yet parents don't see the harm in breaking that trust by falsely teaching their childen about beings that don't exist at Christmas and Easter. This is a lie, plain and simple! Sin is sin! There are no exceptions in the commandment for lying to children for any reason.

If our children find out Santa and the Easter Bunny don't really exist, is it possible they will logically question if God is real too? Children are usually intelligent enough to make the connection. They may begin to question everything about the real God when they learn the truth about the pseudo-god Santa Claus, who knows everything about them, whether they have been bad or good. When our kids find out we lied to them about Christmas and Easter and Santa and the Easter Bunny is it really a shock to find out they also question everything we told them about Jesus?

Have Christian parents unintentionally made Santa more important than Jesus at Christmas time? Do they talk about Jesus as much as Santa? Be honest now. Do children get this excited about Jesus at Christmas?

Do we care what God thinks about man-made religious celebrations like Christmas and Easter that He never commanded? There is no command, example, or instruction in the Bible concerning the celebration of the birth or resurrection of Jesus. In fact the Bible says God HATES our religious holidays and festivals that we use instead of the ones God ordained as His special Holy Days. What should a Christian do about putting Christmas trees in our home and in our churches in light of what God says about them being a false, heathen tradition? "Thou shalt not plant thee a grove of any trees near unto the altar of thy Lord thy God..."(Deut 16:21) Do we think the God who never changes doesn't care if we put evergreen trees in a church near the altar? What about when decorate eggs and fill baskets with candy at Easter? Does god care?

Did the early Christian church use pagan customs and traditions to celebrate Jesus' birth or resurrection? Never! They didn't even celebrate Christmas at all. Do we know the sources of many Christmas and Easter traditions and customs that were added centuries later? Should we care where they came from? Their source matters to God based on what He says He will do to ALL people, no matter how well intentioned, who follow pagan customs and traditions. Shouldn't we see Christmas and Easter as God does and call them what they really are, PAGAN celebrations? Have you ever researched just how many Christmas and Easter customs and traditions were taken directly from the pagan religions? If you look you will find nearly all of them came from paganism. Do we know why the Catholic church started using all the pagan customs and traditions to celebrate Christmas and Easter? How did the Easter Bunny with the pagan fertility rites like colored eggs every get connected with the Christian Resurrection of Jesus? It's a matter of historical record. The truth is out there for anyone willing to look for it.

Is the modern Christmas spirit something Jesus would endorse with all the selfish and greedy values that are taught to our children at Christmas? How can we put Christ back into a secular celebration He was never a part of in the first place? The early church didn't even celebrate Jesus' birth. Christmas and Easter as we know them are relatively modern observances. Our modern, secular, commercialized Christmas doesn't look anything at all like the birth of Jesus we see in the Bible. Have we been deceived by a non-Biblical lie? Absolutely Yes!

Does God's Word teach observing man-made holidays like Christmas and Easter, or does it teach the truth about worship that God won't accept?

Will we stand with the truth of God, or will we continue to follow pagan inspired traditions that have no Biblical foundation?

Would we be surprised to know what this well respected, great Christian minister preached?

The Bible tells us to "Prove All Things". Have you proved the celebration of Christmas and Easter from the Bible? Is it possible God really hates these holidays no matter how well intended? Your eternal life depneds on you knowing the truth!